I’ve been running for a few years now. I never did this when I was younger. I was never athletically motivated. My wife (then partner) is a runner and would go to park to get one in when she could. One day I started looking up running out of curiosity and fell into that rabbit hole. It all seemed very daunting. Then I watched a montage of a overweight man who struggled with weight loss put in the work. He started with walking, and slowly but surely built up a base, went through the rigors and pain and ultimately got in great shape and finished a marathon.
I was inspired. If he could do it, I could too. I told my wife. She was shocked and delighted to have a new adherent come into the fold. So I started with the Couch 2 5K program and it went from there. The growing pains that happen when starting a new habit were there, but this sage advice from Bojack Horseman reminded me to see it through. I finished my first 5k (3.1 miles) in September 2021, then worked towards a 10k (6.2 miles) and can run it comfortably.
Running is something that I have to carve out time for, because it’s so easy to just not do it. We can offer so many excuses:
“I have a long day tomorrow.”
“I don’t have time.”
“I’m tired…”
“I’m not in the mood.”
Sometimes you have to push yourself to get out there. Once you do though, you get moving and you got over the biggest hurdle. A tired cliche? Yes. True? Also, yes. Despite that struggle to get out there, it always feels good after a run. I put in the time and work. I did something for my physical and mental health. I accomplished something and I earned those endorphins. It never fails.
There are two big draws for me regarding running. For starters, running for me is a solitary activity. I don’t do running clubs. I don’t have a need to be social when running. I love that I can put on my music and go. I take pride in my Running Mix of 158 songs and counting, totaling 9 hours and change. It spans multiple genres from Hip Hop to video game music with constant removals and additions as the mood strikes. I’m looking to host said list on my blog here, but I’m still trying to figure out how to export it to text or a spreadsheet. Typing it all manually would be VERY annoying. 🙂
I do races sometimes because the energy at those events are infectious. Plus collecting race t-shirts and finisher medals is pretty sweet. But that’s as far as it goes. It’s me, my running shoes, my watch my headphones and I’m off. It’s simple and I answer to no one but the run when I’m out there. Perfect for decompressing.
The second draw, which is a totally different angle for most: Running for me is an “ego trim” of sorts. I’m a pretty humble guy to begin with. Running is a reminder that I am not the best at something. I am no marathon runner. I’m no track star, and that’s ok! Whenever I run in my local park, there are countless people who leave me in the dust. Early on, I came to the realization that running is about you, your performance, and how you’re feeling. Its not about how much faster you are than others. There’s always someone faster than you. That humility keeps me grounded. Centered. I give myself patience and grace. I check my ego once my running shoes are on and proceed to put in the work.
Not to be preachy, but in an age where narcissism is on full display via social media, and our culture as a whole – humility is a value that we should probably embrace more. We are not born perfect. We have to work at being our awesome selves. You never really see that part on social media. (Maybe it doesn’t get enough views?) We always see the end goal, the success. We always see the person on top of the proverbial mountain (whether gained legitimately or not is a different story…) rarely do we see the effort involved. Its not often that we see the progress; the journey.
It always astounds me when I see someone perform or do something effortlessly when I know it took countless years to learn and practice. I’m always cognizant of that kind of commitment. We should appreciate not being the best at something and putting in the time and work to improve; that thirst or desire to learn. For us mere mortals, we should celebrate the small victories in the process and use that as fuel for the road ahead. Tackling something new feels daunting, or overwhelming but you have to give it time. Don’t let that stop you.
As for me and running? I’ll keep plugging away, mile after mile and I’ll see where I end up.